Inside the ballroom, Pinkie Pie was certain that the bass heavy music that she had borrowed from Vinyl would breathe life into the party. After all, it always worked in Ponyville. Feeling the bass reverberate in the stage floor, Pinkie called out to the crowd with a smile on her face.
“Come on everypony! You wanted a par-tay?! Now let's par-tay!”
As the pink pony bounced from pony to pony in the crowd, trying to get other ponies to dance, Princess Luna rubbed her temples.
“Is this common for the Grand Galloping Gala these days?”
Rocinante tilted his head as Applejack burst into the room, pushing a massive cake on a trolley in front of her.
“Well... I suppose the nobility failed to notice that your Highness led the first dance. Perhaps Miss Pie is attempting to get the other nobles to partake in the more festive aspects of the Gala.”
Princess Luna's response was halted as Pinkie Pie dove off of the stage and into Applejack's trolley, knocking the cake high into the air. Time seemed to slow to a still as everypony silently watched the ballistic cake soar through the air. Across the room Luna's nephew, Prince Blueblood, grabbed his date for the evening to use as his shield from the flying dessert.
It was an act that made Princess Luna more than upset with her nephew, but the sheer improbability of what they were witnessing left her, and everypony around them, speechless.
Prince Blueblood's date was furious and in her fury she turned and started shouting at him. Prince Blueblood began retreating from her frosting covered face, but she continued to pursue. Apparently she had had her fill of the self-absorbed prince.
The two made quite the scene as Prince Blueblood, fearing the idea of staining his coat, retreated further and further away. His young unicorn date however, further enraged over his behavior, pressed him back even harder until he at last tripped and fell into the stone statue of Celestia, tipping it over and off of its pedestal.
Perhaps Princess Luna would have been able to stop it with her magic, had not a random, rainbow colored, pegasus pony flew past her in a desperate race to catch the monument. And while this pony did succeed in stopping the monument from hitting the ground, the statue was too large and its weight was too awkwardly distributed. In the midst of the pegasus pony's triumph, the statue began to tip over once again.
As the statue swayed back and forth, Luna again passed by an opportunity to save the day. She was so stunned by the situation that she could only watch as things grew worse and worse. As the columns around the ballroom began to fall one after another, Princess Luna turned to her equally stunned companion.
“Prithee tell me, is the night of the Grand Galloping Gala always this... eventful?”
Rocinante rubbed his chin as Rainbow Dash dropped the crumbling statue.
“While I must confess that I have not attended every Gala in recent years, I do believe these events are a tad far from ordinary.”
Everypony remained in a stunned silence as the dust and debris began to settle. Even the ever poised Princess Celestia was rendered speechless by the colossal mess that was once the ballroom as she and her star pupil entered the scene.
At the sight of her sister, Princess Luna stepped forward with a smile on her face.
“Sir Knight! Behold! Thy Princess of the Day has arrived upon this very scene and stands now in yonder-”
Luna's words were halted by what felt like a small earthquake rumbling beneath them.
“What? What is-”
With a loud bang the doors to the outside gardens flew open, unleashing a torrent of animals that poured into the ballroom with a panicked fury. Following behind them was a single yellow pegasus pony with a wild look in her eyes.
“YOU'RE... GOING TO LOVE ME!”
What had once been a meek and quiet crowd, too stunned by recent events to move, let alone say anything, erupted in to a full panic. Ponies fled in every direction as the animals became mixed in crowd trying to find some form of refuge and screams of terror filled the ballroom as everypony, except for two, searched for an escape.
“We do believe the Grand Galloping Gala has risen to new heights in terms of entertainment.”
“I am glad the display pleases your Highness, but I am uncertain as to whether or not any of this was intended to play out as such.”
“Truly?”
“Truly.”
Princess Luna eyed the animals fleeing in every direction.
“Then we would do well to contain the chaos before it breaks upon the rest of the castle.”
“As you command, your Highness.”
Filled with a virtuous and righteous vigor, Rocinante strode forth, blocking the path of a rather large bear as it raced towards him. With a laugh, Rocinante glared at the beast right in the eyes as he planted his hooves and held his ground against the oncoming creature.
“Halt! In the name-”
The bear hardly noticed Rocinante as it plowed into him, and the knight-errant was sent flying across the room towards the grand hall. It was hardly a fitting end to the knight-errant's glorious stand, but nothing could be done now as he flew across the floor and into Sassaflash, who had finally arrived at the ballroom.
Princess Celestia's surprise turned from confusion to glee as everypony raced about. It was a small, yet an almost vengeful smile that came across her face as she watched the torrent of “uncivilized” events pouring out upon the ever pompous nobility that, with their frivolous gala, had kept her from helping her sister. Twilight Sparkle however, looked absolutely horrified as she witnessed the events that she was sure would doom her futures at Canterlot.
Taking pity on her dismayed pupil, Princess Celestia leaned over and gave the one piece of advice to her stuttering student that she thought was prudent for the situation.
“Run.”
Immediately Twilight signaled her friends and the six ponies raced for the exit. Once they were through, Princess Celestia began using her magic to block the animals' exits from the ballroom. Most ponies could pass through her barrier easily enough, though she may have tripped a few of the more troublesome aristocrats on their way out.
As one of her ministers fled by in a panic, Princess Celestia laughed at the scene in front of her. This was certainly more exciting than the usual Gala, but her laughter was cut short by a voice that called out to her.
“Sister look out!”
Celestia turned her head just in time to see a duck caught in a familiar dark blue magic cloud.
“This one almost ran into you.”
Immediately Celestia turned to the voice. Her sister, Princess Luna was smiling as she used her magic to lightly toss the duck outside. She had a light blush on her face, as she usually did when she was slightly embarrassed, but all Celestia noticed was that she was smiling.
“I have noticed that many things have changed over the years at thy Gala. Is this in fact the norm?”
Just outside the ballroom, Sassaflash groaned as Rocinante swiftly crawled off of her.
“Well... That did not go as expected, however each time a knight falls he shall rise again and again and evil will be undone! Ah! My dear Sassa! I do hope you have been enjoying the Gala this evening, unorthodox as it may be.”
Sassaflash shook her head a bit as she regained her bearings. The castle was in complete chaos around her and she didn't even know where to begin. As the guards began running around frantically throughout the castle, all she could think of was how much she wanted to go home.
“Cousin, I... I don't think I like the Gala...”
Rocinante smiled as he helped her up off of the castle floor.
“Well to each their own, I suppose. I must admit I was always more fascinated by the intense business negotiations in the past. I was never much of a dancer.”
“I... I guess can believe that. How did you do on your mission?”
Rocinante looked back into the ballroom and said nothing as he smiled. Following his eyes, Sassaflash looked past Celestia's magical barrier into the room. Evidently, the two sisters had decided it would be more fun to try and corral the animals outside without their magic. They were leaning on each other and had laughed to the point of tears as they gasped for breath while the smaller creatures ran in between their legs.
With a beaming smile on his face and a puffed out chest, Rocinante turned from the scene to give the royal sisters their privacy.
“I believe that it has, in fact, turned out quite well.”